Settling-tank.



A. J. ARBUGKLE.

SBTTLING TANK. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 13, 1909.

Patented Meir. 12, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

A. J. ARBUGKLE.

SETTLING TANK.

APPLIGATION TILED NOV. 13 1909. Y 1,020,01 3, Patented Mar. 12, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXANDER JOHN ARBUCKLE', OF JOHANNESBURG, TRANSVAAL.

SETTLING-YTANK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. .12, 1912.

Application filed November 13, 1909; Serial No. 527,929.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER JOHN AR- BUCKLE, a subject of the King of Great Britam, and resident of Johannesburg, Transvaal5 have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Settling-Tanks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to vats, tanks or vessels employed for separating crushed or pulverized ore from. water cyanid' solut-ion or other liquid.- Although the invention has been primarily designed for this purpose, it may also :be'utilize'd for separating the solid and liquid components of other fluid masses, particularl when the solids are in a finestate of sub ivision or the particles thereof are minute, and the mass contains a small percentage ofsuch solid matter. n v

The object of the invention is to provide the vessel :with a very large depositing or settling area upon'which' the particles of' solid matter'can subside or settle. Theparts providing the depositing or settling areas on surfaces are arranged at such an, angle or I inclination that the solid iparticleswhlch accumulate thereupon, "ultimately gravitate or fall off said areas or'surfaces tothe bottom or lower portion of the vessel, whe'nce they' are removed, either continuously or nter mittently, by any suitable means. To 1118111137 that the accumulated 5 solid particles shall slide ofi'.the surfaces I findth'at it is req uisite that said surfaces be inclined at an angle. of 60 (sixty degrees) .or thereabo'ut'. to thehorizontaL It is know'n "that once the particles of ore slimes'are collected and see tled, saidpart-icles'coliere sufiiciently tojfall Y ina massor-bodythroug'h liquid with little disperson or diffusion; Forithe purpoise of invention thevessel maybein the'flforni,

an inverted.- truncated hollow cone or a pyramid, orbe offlcircular, square orj any 5 suitable polygonal horiz ontal section in its" upper,;.port ion, and oi inverted conical or pyramidica'l shape in gits lower; portiom, fThe... vessel is preferably providedat ;the to an ordinary v rinuior overflow launder or reoeiving thfe separated aminqnu; ore. pulp or fluid mass may be introduced intO, theav'essel either at ,orin proximitygtol the" top or bottom thereof or at other suitable] intermediate point or points, as pmfQil'ed.

The shape and arrangement of'the parts providing the settling surface or surfaces pede the passage of the outflowin with v v d m n es l 1 i ca e an the settling areas are 'cons ,ber, 0f sections or segments.

'tling cones are so arranged that their lower ends are above the level of thesettled solids in the bottom of the vessel so as not to iIiiliquid component between the cones, and a We the point or points at Which'thepulp ormixture is introduced into'the vessel, s'o that the settlement of the solids will, as 3 far as is practicable, be uninfluenced by. the velocity of the infiowing stream ofstreanis. w

. In the accompanying drawings 1 illustrate several alternative forms of my invention, and I will nowprooeed with a detailed description thereof. f n i I In the drawings Figure 1' illustrates a partsectional elevation of an inverted conical vat fitted with the settling cones. Fig..

2 is a plan of a portion of F 1g. 1 showing the. arrangement of the concentricset'tling cones andthe mode of supporting'them inside the vessel. Fig; 3 is an elevati'ontoa jreducedf sca'le of one 'of the'narrow wing plates 15 for supporting certain 'oft hebones inside the vessel. Fig. 4 is'an elevation,

also to a reduced scale, of oneof "the wide 'wing plates 14 for supporting the cones.

Fig.5 is a sectional elevation of; a co'nical ya tillustrating a "modified form of the invention. Fig; 5 is afip'lan of a portion of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 isjadetailed view oro e of the shorter slotted cones18, and Figf8 'is a part sectional elevation (of; an arrangement of 'vats .of another shape showing a further U iniodification of the invention."

.VInQF'gS. @to 4:1 ill sane the' 'i'nvention adapted to a conicalsettling'vessel large u cte nil arranged as'a'series of 'concentr eqa CODQSL iOwing'to'theilfilarge d cone e l 1 11' o bI d. i f a I epfs iitz h inverted truncated conical settling yessel constructed'at the bottom'with an outlet 2 et n ensioii sflhe.

v 3, or settling cones (of which any desired num- 25.

faces oftheseveral settling cones 13 are formed at'an angleof 60 (sixty degrees) ;are riveted orotherwise secured to angle or L p1eces-16 riveted or; otherwise fixedto the shape for distributing "or spreading the ina the ,feedpipe 7 and 12 are stays forattach- W 1, I provide eight wide wing plates 14 (see also Fig.4), and eight intermediate narrow 3 largest cones .;13, a and the eight] 'iwin'g' v plates for carrying all ,the cones. ,Q'Th'e ed on the, or along their inn'r edges with flanges or- 1nwardly'bentport1ons 17f suitably fined to fthe wing .pIatesQH, 15. The upper ends of the severalcones te'rmi i [nate at,thesameflevel,gwhich level is at al YsuitableIslitirt distance i'below; the annular overflow launder It is apparent, that as 1 the segments fof the cones connect ,the' several rewa a for the separated solids. Vat 1 is provided around the top with an annular overflow or rim launder 3. 4 represents posts for carrying vat 1. 5 is a manhole for providing access to the interior of the-tank below the settling cones. 6 represents a pipe or laun der for conveying the pulp or fluid mass to vessel 1, and 7 is a vertically arranged feed pipe, into the funnel-shaped upper end 8 of which, pipe or "launder 6 discharges. Feed pipe 7 extends to a point below the level of the lower ends of the settling cones, so that the pulp or mass is discharged inside the vessel 1 at a point below said lower ends. 9 is a horizontal bridge-piece arranged inside the vessel 1 and fixed to brackets or angle pieces 10in .the interiorof the vessel, llis a distributer of conical or other flowing pulpvasit leavesthelowenend of ing the lower end of feed pipe 7 tobridgepiece 9. 13 represents the several depositing ber may beprovided), which are shown arranged at' equal dlstances apartand concentrically inside each-other. The nter or suror thereabout to the horizontah Each of the cones is constructed in a number of sections or segmentsflhe four outer cones each comprising sixteen such segments, and the six innercones eight such segments. For carrying the scveral settling cones 13, and. securing the same to the inside. of the vessel wing plates 15 (see also Fig. 3). The several wingplates14 15 at their, outer .ends

inside of the vessel 1.--see FigsI 1l anii 2. 'Theeiglit narrow wingplates 15 serve for carryingthe segments of the four oi1ter and- ,severalsegxnents,ofthe cones aref'c'o structy s f whi h they are riveted'orother' cal spaces, channels or passages formed by and between the said five inner cones. The cones 13 may be supported in any other convenient manner lIlSlde the "essel 1. If the vessel is constructed of inverted pyramidical shape, then the parts providing the "settling areas or surfaces will be of corresponding inverted pyramidical configuration. In the operation of this form of the invention, the pulp is introduced into the vessel through feed pipe 7 beneath the several settling cones 13. It then flows up through the several conical spaces, channels or passages formed between the cones, and in lts passage therethroiigh thesolid particles subside or settle upon the inner surfaces of the cones, the-liquid component ultimately overflowin intothe annularrim launder 3. The particles of the solid component, whichcol ect on the settling surfaces of the cones 13, eventually slide 01f said sulrfaces, and fall to theflbottom of the vesse 1.

The modified forinpf the invention illustrated in Figs. are 7,, is intended more par- [a central right conical passage extending upwardly from the lower end of the outermost to, the lower end of "the "innermost cone 13. The "anglebf all-the cones 13 1s equal (being'js ixty "degrees or the'reabout) so that a series emeaning; conical "spaces or passages [are formed between the'cones from ja pomt near the .bOttOlIi of the vessel" to the "top thereof; "similartd the last described arrangement. In the conical space formed between the outermost settling bone 13; and the inside jxhe ttsd "1," arrange another "ser es Qof 'o'pposltelyfdis posed or upright triincatetl cones 18', ="wh1ch are equidistant, arid *c'on'centrically disposed 'sideofpip'e "71theffive inner cones", laser ends"*of-"the shorterfi cones :18, as passage theipulp can:

a *short' distance of the cones 13 be supported inside the vessel 1 by means of wing plates, similar to the arrangement described in connection with Figs. 1 to 4, orin an other convenient manner. The pulp intro uced into the ves-' sel flows down the conical passage formed by the truncated lower ends of theseveral' settling cones 13, and then up through the cones 18, the liquid constituent ultimately entering launder 3, and the solid constituent falling off the settling surfaces of cones 13-and 18 to the bottom of vessel 1.

In Fig. 8 I show the invention adapted to a vessel of cylindrical shape in its upper portion and inverted conical shape in its lower portion. In this figure 20 represents the cylindrical upper portion of the vessel, and 21 the inverted conical lower ortion thereof. 22 represents a conveyer casing for elevating the settled solids from the bottom of the settling vessel to the top of a further settling vessel 23,- and 2-1 the casing of a conveyer for removing it from the bottom of said latter vessel. Inside the cylindrical portion .20 of the vessel is arranged a concentric cylinder 25,0f smaller diameter than cylinder 20, so as to provide between them a vertical cylindrical passage 26. Cylinder 25 is constructed at the top to provide an overflow or rim launder 27. To the lower and inner end of cylinder 25 is fixed an inverted truncated cone 28, which provides between it and the inverted conical portion 21 of the vessel, a conical passa e 29 leading to a point near the bottom of the vessel. Inside the cylinder 25, an inverted truncated cone 28, is arranged a series of equi-distant concentric settling cones 30, which between them provide conical spaces or passages. pulp is Introduced into the upper end of cylinder .20, and flows down cylindrical passage 26 and conical passage 29, to the bottom of the settling vessel. It then flows in an upward direction through and between the several settling cones 30. The liquid component ultimately enters launder 27, while the solid component, which settles on the upper surfaces of the settling cones, falls to the bottom of thevessel.

What I claim as my invention and desire to protect by Letters Patent is 1. In a vessel for separating pulverized ore or other comminuted solid matterifrom liquid, the combination with the vessel of a' plurality of inverted, truncated cones arranged inside the vessel, the upper surfaces of said cones providing settling areas upon which the solid particles settle and accumulate and ultimately slide off graVity the truncated lower ends of the several cones forming a central, vertical passage through With this construction, theall the cones, and means for supporting the cones in position inside the vessel, said means comprising a plurality of radial wing-plates fixed'to the inside of the vessel, the cones being constructed in flanged sections and fixed to said radial wing-plates, as set fortln 2. In a vessel for separating. pulverized ore or other comminuted solid matter from liquid, the combination with the vessel of a plurality of inverted, truncatedcones arranged inside the vessel, the upper surfaces of said cones providing settling areas upon which the solid particles settle and accumulate and ultimately slide off by gravity, the truncated lower ends of the several cones forming a central, vertical passage through all the cones, means for supporting the cones inside the vessel comprising a plu-. rality of long, radial wing-plates and a plurality oi shorter intermediate wing-plates, the long wing-plates serving for carrying all the. cones and the shorter wing-plates for carryingiseveral oftheouter cones, the cones being constructed in flanged segments fixed to the wing-plates, asset forth.

v 3. In a-ve'ssel' for separating pulverized ore or other comminuted solid matter from liquid, the'combination' with theivessel of a plurality of inverted, truncated, equi-distant and concentric cones positioned inside the vessel, the upper surfaces of said cones'constituting settling areas uponwhich the, solid particles settle and-accumulate and ultimately slide ofl" bygravity, the truncated lower ends oft-he several cones forming a centraLIl-vertical passage through all the cones, a pipelocated in said central, vertical passage for introducing the feed mixture below the lower-ends'of all the cones, means for supporting the cones in position in the vessel, comprising a plurality of radial wing-plates'fixed to the inside of the vessel, the cones-being constructed in flanged sections andfixed to said radial wing-plates,

as set forth I Z v 4. In a vessel f orj separating pulverized ore or ot-hencomminuted'solid matter from liquid, the combination with the vessel of a plurality of inverted, truncated, equi-distant and concentric cones positioned inside the vessel, the upper surfaces of sand cones constituting settling areas upon which the solid particles. settle and accumulate and ultimately slide oif by-gravity, the truncated lower ends of the several cones forming a central, vertical passage through all the cones, a pipe located in said central, vertical passagefor' introducing the feed mixture below the lower ends of all the cones, means for supporting the cones inside the vessel,

comprising a plurality of long, radial wingplates and a plurality of shorter intermedi- 'ate wing-plates, the long wing-plates serving for carrylng all the cones, and the shorter wing-plates for carrying several-of e the outer c ones, the

liquid,

5. In a vessel for; separating pulverized ore or other eomininuted solid matter from overflowing: clear liquid," a plurality of ,in- 1 verted, truncated,equi-distant and ,c0neen-" trie conespositioned inside saidvesselbelow j the level of the'overflow launder, theupper areas upon {which gravity, and the -1,o2o,o 1e

eones beingconstructed said member, in flan (1 segments fixed to the.wing-plates,- as set orth. 7 l

in combination, a'vessel having an, annular overflow .or I'Im launder zfonthe lower end of said ipe, means for introducingthew feedmixt reinto the upper end of the feed pipe, means for supporting thesetftling cones in position inside the vessel, said,

a distributing cone supported I vby said horizontal -member beneath. the

means comprising a plurality of wide radial a wing-plates and a plurality of narrow, in-

termediate wing-plates, the several wingplates, being secured at their outer ends to the ,inside 'of the vessel, the wide wing-plates serving for carrying all the cones and the narrow wing-plates for carrying several of the outeri oones, all the cones being builtup offlanged segments or sections fixed to the wing-plates, as set forth. In testimony whereof I n v I fienrxmnna 101m ARBUGKLE.

Witnesses; l v t CHAS- OvnNnALE, MAUD Porn.

v 40 f have signed my ,name to this specification in'the presence of two subscribing witnesses. 

